Is my HD failing?

[The Texan]

Hi, my HD had been making funny noises and randomly shutting down, also recently when i boot my box it cant find the HD so i unpluged my HD and plugged it back in then it worked but i think it may be failing... im thinking about buying Ghost and getting a new HD but i dont have alot of money right now. i really dont want to lose it though. thanx bye.

[Und3ertak3r]

Backup your data!
Image your Dive..!
Save your pennies..


that said..

Your problem MAY have been the loose IDE cable.. this is assuming the noises have stopped.... HMMM

but if the noises are still there.. (which something tells me that they are..
after the drive is running a while (half to an hour).. take the covers of the box and stick a finger onto the top of the HDD.. if your finger need medical attention for burns.. there is your cause.. ..and you will need to fix heating problem BEFORE you replace the HDD...oh fix your finger also.. .
not much you can do now regardless. the HDD is living on borrowed time.

cheers
.

[nihil]

Undies has given you some excellent advice.

In general, there are two common causes.

1. Your HDD is physically coming apart. If you get the manufacturer's diagnostics program and run that it will probably confirm this, or otherwise. I see that you have a Dell, so there might be some diagnostics software that came with your machine. At the worst, at least run chkdsk (I guess you are running XP) to see if there is any damage.

If the diagnostics are positive you have no choice other than to back up your data immediately, and start looking for a new drive.

2. Overheating. Now this could be due to fan failure, so you should first check that they are all clean and spinning normally. Also ensure that all vents are dust/lint (that's fluff to us Undies ) free, and that the cables are not obstructing airflow (although Dell generally do a tidy build).

It is possible that the noises are due to a fan falling apart, or that the HDD makes funny noises when it shuts down abruptly. Both of these are consistent with overheating. The first one is the cause and the second one the effect.

You did not say, are these noises on boot up , shut down or are they happening whilst the drive is running?

How old is the machine, and what make model of HDD is it?

Good luck

[The Texan]

sorry, i forgot to tell u im running XP Pro on a dell P4 made in 2001. my HD is a maxtor 40 gig but, i also have a spare 80 gig HD and i shelled out (70!) bucks for Ghost today so i think im just gonna ghost my HD image over to the good one before my orginal dies.

[Und3ertak3r]

I may sound like a bastard..

How hot are the HDD's getting? !!

5$ spent on a fan will give you HDD's extra chance at life.. the cooler they run the longer they live, oh and make sure they are quiet low vibration.. (vibration is a killer of HDD's also)

And while your at it..
Partition your new drive before the ghost.. place your Documents on the 2nd partition.. this will make a backup easier next time..
Save an image of your HDD to A CD or 3 (if ya have a lot of **** on the drive it won't be so easy

[nihil]

Hi Tex,

Once again, Undies is spot on.

If you have an environment problem, you MUST resolve this or you are just putting the replacement component under the same stress.

You do not say which model of Dell it is, but if the HDD is mounted at the front and is horizontal/lateral then I would get a hard drive cooling mounting. I use them on all my builds these days.

They fit into a 5.25 " bay, and the drive fits into the mounting. Typically they have 2/3 small fans that suck air in from the front and blow it over the HDD's surfaces. You should be able to get one for around $15 (USD)

I guess you are unlucky, even if it had a 3 year warranty, it would have just run out

Happy New Year, and good luck.

/ joke

Some of you may think that Undies and I say the same sorts of thing because we communicate telepathically, or telephonically. This is not true.............we have two tin cans and a length of string (cord).............now how many members have ever done that? c'mon. fess up

/

[whatthe]

From Nihil

so there might be some diagnostics software that came with your machine

If not search for Maxtor's PowerMax software it will test and allow you to do a low level format before you reuse the drive.

[Cybr1d]

Texan, where in texas do you live? Go to your nearest Microcenter location, and for $37 you can buy a brand new 60GB Maxtor HDD. All BYOS items are 20% off for the next two weeks, so see if you can get some fans for cheap.

Edit: Or go to www.microcenter.com and get one shipped to ya

[foxyloxley]

I see that you have a Dell, so there might be some diagnostics software that came with your machine.

DELL HDD test is [ctrl + D]
hit it on boot up

used to work for Fujitsu 2nd line support, LOTS of DELL kit, [Inland Revenue - 70 000 PC's] just wish I could remember more

[edit]will look a right gonk if I ballsed up due to MY memory failing

And I DO know that Fujitsu make their OWN PC's, they were supporting lots of customers, using lots of diferent PC's.